T-4. Frank Perconte
T-4. Frank J. "Perco" Perconte is a former paratrooper and NCO of Easy Company. Biography Early life Perconte was born on March 10th, 1917 in Joliet Illinois, where he was also raised. He was born to Italian parents named Joseph Perconte (died 1929) and Mary Carbone. In 1935 during the Great Depression, he graduated from Joliet Central High School and moved with some of his friends to Gary, Indiana, working at a steel mill there. He enlisted into the paratroopers seven years later on August 17th, 1942 in Chicago, Illinois, becoming one of the first men assigned to Easy Company. One of his friends was George Radeka, who would be a part of the legendary Filthy Thirteen. WWII Perconte was put in 1st Platoon. His Company Commander was 1st Lt. Herbert Sobel, who was known to push the men to their limits and was able to be very strict about the slightest infraction. Perconte was once caught with creases on his pants, making it look like he was blousing them like a paratrooper, and Sobel said, "Volunteering for the Airborne is one thing Perconte, but you've got a long way before you can prove you really belong here. Your weekend pass is revoked." When the men actually received decent food (spaghetti), Perconte commented that "This ain't spaghetti, this is army noodles with ketchup", since he was an Italian. They were then immediately sent up Currahee Mountain, and Perconte and the rest of the men began to throw up their food. After basic training, Perconte went to Fort Benning, and made the jump, qualifying him as a paratrooper. While celebrating, he came to Johnny Martin and mentioned that Martin would be mistaken for someone (Perconte), if he had any style. Martin replied, "You mean like your fucking Sergeant?". Perconte said he was just kidding, and congratulated him on his promotion. Sometime during training at Camps Mackall and Shanks, Perconte met and married a woman named Evelyn. She gave birth to a son named Richard. He was 28 months old before Perconte left in 1943 for England. After England, Perconte jumped into Normandy on Operation Overlord On June 6, 1944. He landed at Ste. Marie-du-Monte. After hooking up with men from different units, he and his companions waited at a farmhouse. The farmer's wife told them that it was safe at night because the Germans came in the morning for milk. Perconte and the others waited, however, and ambushed the Germans in the morning. He returned to his Company sometime after. He collected watches from dead Germans, which he showed to Private Albert Blithe. He survived Carentan and made it back to England on July 9. He then jumped into Holland on September 17, as part of Operation Market-Garden. Sometime during the Operation, they suffered a fierce tank attack at the town of Nuenen. The Operation ended on September 25, but Perconte and the men continued fighting. They relieved a British unit on October 2 in an area known as "The Island". They then took out the German unit on October 5. They then were relieved on November 26 by a Canadian unit. On December 17, Perconte and the others relieved the 28th Infantry Regiment in the Ardennes Forest, Belgium, and were stationed at Bastogne, part of the Battle of the Bulge. Perconte described it as, "It was damned cold and the Germans were everywhere". During the attack on Foy, Percont was shot through the waist, and out the buttocks by a sniper, wounding him. He called it "A beautiful wound". He returned to the Company at Haguenau and stayed with his unit. They eventually headed to occupy Germany on April 2, 1945. During their stay, Perconte had an antagonistic relationship with a replacement named Patrick S. O'Keefe. He merely was unfriendly because he didn't want him or any replacement to try and prove themselves and get killed. At the town of Landsberg, while patrolling, they discovered a Concentration Camp. He alerted Richard Winters of this, and they liberated the camp. The war in Germany ended on May 8, and Perconte returned home. Later life After the war, he settled down with his wife and son at Joliet, Illinois, and he became a postman. He has a nephew named Jack Perconte, who is a major league baseball player, and has played with the White Sox, the Indians, the Dodgers, and the Mariners. When the miniseries came out, Perconte loved the attention. He is friends with James Madio, who was the man that portrayed him. He died on October 24th, 2013 at the age of 96. Category:Characters Category:NCO's Category:Paratroopers/Soldiers Category:Deceased